Magazine-firearm



-'(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. lL. MOCULLOUGH.

MAGAZINE IIREARM.

-PatentedApr. 7, 1896.'

INVENTRI Vm .sflil WITNESSES; Mfg/mm2 @@Q/GZMM By Jw,

.dttomey ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHOTO-Lim DANASHINGTUN. D C.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

J. L. MOCUL'L'OfUG'H.

MAGAZINE FIRVEARM. No. 557,863I Patented Apr. '7, 1896;

e IN/.ENTORI WITNESSESI A By w fNo Model.)

WITNBSSES;

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. L. MGOULLOUGH. MAGAZINE FIREARM.

'PatentedApl 7, 189.6.'

NVENTORI 'By/VM/v] UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

JOIIN L. MCOULLOIIGII, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

MAGAZINE-FIREARIVI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,863, dated April 7, 1896.

Application tiled January 16,1895. Serial No. 535,072. (No model.)

To all whom it 777/001/ concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN L. MCCULLOUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Magazine-Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of firearms in which the magazine is in the form of a tube arranged beneath and substantially parallel with the barrel and in which the cartridges are fed one byone from the magazine to a vertically-vibrating carrier or carrierblocl; adapted to carry them up into alinement with the barrel. Such a iirearm has also a sliding breech-block, which rises and moves back to provide room for the carrier and open the breech and then advances and descends to its normal closing position be hind the cartridge in its chamber. The parts are moved bya reciprocating operatingslide, and the breech-block is provided with a liring-pin and means for extracting the cartridge-shell.

My invention relating to firearms of the above gen eral class has for its principal object to so modify the operative mechanism as to lessen the distance between the breech of the arm and the hammer.

The details of construction and arrangement of the parts will be hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention, the novel features of which will be defined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical mid-section of the arm seen from the right-hand side and showing the parts in the position they occupy immediately7 after firing. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the right-hand side of the arm, partly in section or broken away, the parts being in the positions they occupy when the breech-block is fully retracted. Fig. 3 is a plan of the arm with the parts in the position seen in Fig. l. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are transverse sections in the respective planes indicated by the lines 114, .115, .11, and .rl in Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a rear end view of the cartridge-carrier detached. Fig. 9 is a front end view of the breech-block detached. Figs. 10 and ll are horizontal sections of the arln, partlyin plan. The planes of the sections are indicated, respectively, by the lines ,w10 and in Fig. l.v Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the muzzle portion of the barrel with the forward end of the magazine in vertical midsection. Figs. 13 and 14 are underside views of parts of the arm, which will be referred to hereinafter.

l is the frame, provided with the usual tangs l for securing it to the wooden stock X. The frame is tubular at its front or forward part and has a somewhat rectangular cross-section, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. NVithin this frame is fitted snugly a breechpiece 2, bored to receive a cylindrical tenon on the barrel This tenon extends longitudinally entirely through the breech-piece 2 and is screw-threaded for a part of its length to secure it in the piece 2. The breech-piece 2 when in place in the frameis secured thereto by a screw 4, (see Figs. 2, 4, and 10,) which passes loosely through the breech-piece transversely and screws at its tip into one cheek or side plate of the frame. At the side where the screw enters-the right side, as herein shown-the neck of the screw engages or occupies an open slot in the cheek of the frame on that side. Then the screw 4 is unscrewed to an extent sufficient to free its tip from the screw-hole at the left side of the frame, the breech-piece 2 may be slipped or drawn out of the frame, carrying with it the barrel 3 and all of the parts connected with the barrel and breech-piece, as will be hereinaftcr explained.

Beneath the barrel is situated the tubular magazine 5, on which is mounted a tubular operating-slide 6, provided with a handle or grip 7 The magazine will be secured removably to the barrel 3 at its front end, (in a manner to be hereinafter described,) and at its rear end it extends back through a bore in the breech-piece 2 to the point where the cartrid ges are delivered to the oartridge-carrier- The operatingslide G embraces this rear portion of the magazine and extends through the said bore or way formed in the breech-piece, playing through this bore or way longitudinally in its movements. This tubular construction of the operating-slide and the fitting therein of the removable magazine-tube not only impart compacfness to the construc- ICC tion but enable the magazine to be quickly charged. This is done by drawing back the slide to the position seen in Fig. 2, the tang 13x then occupying a position at its rear open end, then detaching and withdrawing the empty magazine tube, then dropping the cartridges into the open outer end of the tubular operating-slide, and then reinserting the magazinetube and securing it to the barrel. Vhen the magazine-tube is inserted, it passes about and takes in the cartridges. Then the piece is to be charged in this manner, the spring dctents 5 may be omitted, or, if used, so constructed that they can expand and pass the cartridges when the magazine tube is inserted.

8 is the breech-block, in which is mounted the firing-pin 9, provided with the usual retracting-spring 10. This breech-block has two like arms 8, which project forward and occupy recesses in the lateral faces of the breech-piece 2, (see Figs. 2, 5, 10, and 11,) so as to bring the outer faces of the arms iush with the faces of the breech-piece. On the inner face of each arm 8 is an elongated guide-piece Sb, Fig. 10, which projects into and plays along a groove 8 at the bottom of the recess in the breech-piece. "W hen the breech-block S is depressed to its normal position, as seen in Fig. 1, the rear end of the guide-piece S is depressed by the swing of the arms until it takes behind a shoulder 8d (seen in Fig. 2) in the groove 8 and locks or sustains the breech-block against the recoil. When the breech-block is elevated, however, the guide-piece 8b will be raised above and clear of this shoulder Sd, and when the breechblock 8 is moved back to the terminal position seen in Fig. 2 the elongated guide-piece 8b will move along the groove SC, which forms a guide for said guide-piece. This placing of the point about which the breech block swings, when elevated and depressed, forward of the breech is very important, as it permits of making the breech-block very short and of bringing the hammer up much nearer to the breech than in the ordinaryT constructions.

The breech-piece 2 is cut away at its rear lower part to leave a chamber within the frame, and into this space projects the rear extremities of the tubular magazine and the tubular operating-slide 6. On this rear eX- tremity of the operating-slide are fixed two like plates (5X, Fig. 11, each provided with an oblique cam-slot on, which engage each a stud 8e on one of the arms 8 of the breech-block. Hence the first effect from the rearward movement of the operating-slide G is to cause the said cam-slots to elevate the breech-block to the proper extent, and the continued rearward movement of said operating-slide carries the breech-block back to the position seen in Fig. 2. I may say here that this movement of the breech-block carries back the ham mer 11 and sets it at full-cock, whereat it is held by the trigger 12 in the usual way. The forward movement of the operating-slide carries the breech-block forward to the full extent and then, through the medium of the cam-slots before described, depresses it again to its normal position.

The carrier or carrier-block 13, which receves the cartridge from the rear end of the magazine and elevates it into alinement with the cartridgechamber in the barrel, has a bore or recess to receive the cartridge and has an arm 13", which extends rearward and is pivotally mounted on a pin in a lug 1b, pendent from the upper tang of the receiver. As herein shown, Figs. 1, 2, 10, and 11, the arm 13n is forked to embrace the lug 1b, and the pivotpin extends transversely through the lug and the two branches of the forked arm. On one of said branches or lugs is formed a shoulder 13b, upon which impinges,when the operatingslide is drawn back and nears the end of its travel, a toe or projection b on one of the plates GX, carried by said slide. The effect of this impingement is to throw up the carrier 13 suddenly from the normal depressed position seen in Fig. 1 to the elevated position seen in Fig. 2. On the return or forward movement of the operating-slide the breechblock S, in moving down to its normal position for closing the breech, depresses the carrier to the position seen in Fig. 1. This pivoting of the arm of the carrier to the upper tang back of the hammer gives to the carrier the long radius necessary to a swinging carrier and at the same time enables the breechblock to be shortened, for the reasons before stated. This construction, or one of a similar character, is essential where the breech-block is very short.

From the above description it will be seen that when the parts are in the position seen in Fig. 1 and the screw 4 is withdrawn, as before described, the breech-piece 2, together with the breech-block, the barrel, the magazine, and the operating-slide, may be drawn out and detached from the frame; but as this would leave the carrier 13 in the frame it is obvious that the spring-follower x in the magazine wo uld drive out any cartridges there might be therein unless means were taken to prevent it. As the magazine is also adapted to be drawn out for recharging it or for examination, such a stop device is required in that event also.

I will explainv the construction of the magazine and the stop device employed to prevent the cartridges from escaping therefrom when the magazine is withdrawn.

Referring primarily to Figs. 12, 13, and 14, the operating-slide 6 is supported at its outer end, Fig. 13, by a bracket 3 on the under side of the barrel 3, and the magazine 5 is supported at its outer end, Figs. 12 and 1i, in a bracket 3b on the under side of the barrel near the muzzle. The spring-follower 5x in the magazine has a stem 5, provided with a shouldered head 5l,adapted to engage a spring-catch 5C in the outer end of the magazine when the spring-follower is pushed out,

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as in Fig. 12, so as to allow cartridges to be dropped into the magazine at the inlet d,

formed in the upper part of the tubular magazine. In order to release the stem of the follower from the spring-catch 5C, I mount in the magazine-tube a transversely-arranged pushpin 5e, having a shoulder which bears on the said spring-catch. By pressing lightly on this pin the catch will be .moved out of engagement with the shouldered head on the stem 5f. The end of the magazine-tube is closed by a plug In order to secure the magazine removably in the bracket 3b, the latter has in it a keyhole-slot 3C, Fig. la, through the larger part of' which the push-pin 5e passes, said pin having a slender neck, which can pass through the narrower part of the slot 3C and the thicker part 5h, which will move freely in the larger part of the slot.

The operation is as follows: Then the magazine is empty and the user wishes to recharge it, he presses in the push-pin 5e until the enlarged part 5 clears the bracket 3b, and then draws out the magazine, the slender neck of the push-pin passing through the narrow part of the slot in the bracket and the tip of the push-pin moving along a groove in the upper part of the bracket. Having removed the magazine, he presses back the spring-follower 5x until the shouldered head on its stem is caught by the spring-catch 5. In order to facilitate the pushing back of the spring-follower, it is provided with a stud 5i, which projects into and plays along a slot 5k in the upper side of the magazine. As this stud cannot well project beyond the outer surface of the magazine-tube, I prefer to chamfer or cut away the top of the tube, as indicated in Fig. l, so as to afford access to the stud 5i for operating it. In Fig. I2 the springfollower is represented as pressed back, or so that its spring is compressed and the shouldered head on its stem is engaged by the spring-catch 5, but this is only for convenience of illustration. The follower will not be put in this position ordinarily until the magazine shall have been removed.

The stop device to prevent the escape of such cartridges as may be in the magazine when the latter is removed is best seen in Figs. G and ll, and it comprises two light springs 5 on the rear end of the magazine -tube. The springs may be formed by slitting the tube of the magazine itself, provided it be made of spring metal, and they are provided each with a hook-like head at its free end, adapted, normally, to take behind the end a cartridge in the magazine and prevent it from escaping when the magazine is drawn out. In order that these springs or spring-detents may not prevent the free passage of the cartridge from the magazine into the carrier 13 when the latter is depressed and in position to receive it, Fig. l, the carrier is adapted to expand or press outward laterally the heads of the spring 5 by a wedging action when it descends. The carrier has on its front end a pendent tang 13X to strike and rest on the bottom of the frame and limit the downward movement of the carrier, and this tang is made wedge-shaped, (see Fig. 8,) so as to enter between and spread apart the detentsprings. This tang and the springs 5m, either or both, serve to prevent the spring-follower 5x from expelling the cartridges when the carrier 13 is elevated.

The carrier I3 is slotted vertically and longitudinally, as seen in Fig. 8, so that when elevated a pendent portion 8 of the breech-block may enter and move along said slot when the breech-block moves forward and push the cartridge y into the chamber in the barrel. On the lower edge of the pendent rib 8" on the breech-block is mounted the spring-extractor 14, for removing the empty shell z, Fig. l, from the cartridge-chamber. The hook on this extractor engages the ange on the cartridge in the carrier at its lower edge, when the breech-block starts forward, Fig. 2, and when the cartridge is lodged in the chamber and the block descends the extracting-hook moves down along a way cut in the rear end of the breech-piece 2 to the position seen in Fig. 1. After the cartridge is fired and the breech-block is elevated the hook on the extractor takes under the lower edge of the flange on the shell and draws the latter out. The sudden upward movement of the carrier-block 13 eXpels the shell. As the eX- tracting-hook takes under the lower edge of the flange there is a tendency in the shell, when partly withdrawn, to be deflected upwardly, so as toescape the hook on the eX- tractor, and to avoid this I provide the device which will now be described.

On the front end of the body of the firingpin 9, Figs. l, 2, G, and 9, is the exploding-tip 9, arranged to strike the rim of the cartridge at the side. In Fig. 9 the dotted circle indicates the position of the cartridge-rim with respect to the tip 9a. Below the explodingtip, and arranged in the vertical plane passing through the cartridge-axis and the eX- tractor, is another stud or tip 9", carried by the firing-pin. This stud is situated above the extractor and separated therefrom by a distance equal to the diameter of the cartridge-flange-that is to say, it is so placed that when a cartridge has been red and the breech-block elevated the stud 9b will bear on the upper edge of the cartridge-flange and the hook of the extractor will take under and engage the lower edge of said ange. Thus the shell will be stopped against upward deflection. I prefer to slightly round the end of the stud 9h, so that when the breech-block is elevated the stud will move the more easily over and across the butt of the cartridgeshell, as at this time the hammer will be pressing with some elastic force on the firing-pin.

Vhen the carrier I3 is thrown up, Fig. 2, the exactractor 14 on the breech-block 8 will enter the slot in the carrier at its rear end,

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and in order to prevent the carrier from falling again at the moment When the breechblock starts forward and the carrier-block is unsupported the latter is furnished With a slight shoulder in one Wall of the slot therein, (seen at 15 in Fig. 3,) With which a slight lateral projection on the hooked head on the extractor 14 engages by the lateral spring of the parts. This device is only required to hold the carrier-block up. until the breechblock shall have advanced far enough to drive the cartridge part Way into the chamber.

It is desirable that the pressure on the iirin gpin by the hammer during cooking shall be maintained until the cartridge-shell is fairly drawn from the chamber, in order that the stud 9b may do its Work properly, and to effect this the body of the firing-pin is provided with a pendent piece 9C, Whichplays in a slot in the breech-block, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This piece prolongs the contact of the hammer-head With the iring-pin. It is also important that When the parts are in the position seen in Fig. 2-that is, with the hammer at full-cock and the carrier 13 elevated-the hammer should be locked, so that it cannot fall until the breech-block has depressed the carrier 13 to its lowest point. To effect this locking, a groove 16 is formed in the side of the hammer and the arm 13 of the carrier, which arm is closely adjacent to the hammer, has in it a stud or pin 17, Which engages said slot, and locks the hammer against falling should the trigger be pulled.

After the last cartridge from the magazine has been expended it is desirable that the operating-slide 6 shall be locked against rearward movement, and I have provided an automatic locking device to effect this object, utilizing the rearward movement of the spring-follower 5x to effect the locking after the last cartridge shall have been taken from the carrier 13. This device is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

lVIounted in the breech-piece 2, directly over the rear end of the\slotted magazine-tube, is a pivoted dog 18, the rear end of which has a beveled nose in the path of the stud 5 on the the follower 5*", and so situated with reference to said stud that when the carrier 13 is em pty, and the follower is thus permitted to move backward a little beyond the normal, the stud 5 is carried backward under said beveled nose, thus raising that end-the rear end-of the dog and depressing the other or forward end thereof. This forward end of the dog is provided with a downwardly-turned detent, which is thus interposed behind some part of the operating-slide 6, so that it may not be drawn back. A spring 19, above or behind the rear end of the dog, serves to depress this end normally and thus elevate the forward end out of the path of the operating-slide.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein shown, as this may be varied to some extent without departing from my invention` For example, I believe one of the arms 8 of the breech-block might be omitted and good results be attained with a single arm. Good results might also be attained by extending the tenon on the barrel 3 only part Way through the breech-piece 2. The pendent lug 13x on the carrier might also be omitted and one of the lugs between which the hammer is pivoted be relied on to limit the descent of the carrier. These Will serve to illustrate the changes that might be made Without departing from the invention in any material degree.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A magazine firearm 'having a frame which is tubular at its front end, a breech piece 2, which iits snugly into the tubular part of said frame, a barrel 3, secured to said breech-piece, and means substantially as described for securing the breech-piece in the frame.

2. A magazine firearm having a frame which is tubular at its front end, a breechpiece 2, which fits snugly into the tubular part of said frame, a barrel 3, secured to said breech-piece, a magazine mounted on the under side of the barrel and extending rearwardly through a bore in said breech-piece, and means substantially as described for securing the breech-piece in the frame.

3. A magazine-iirearm having a removable, tubular magazine secured at its outer end to the barrel, a tubular operating-slide 6, mounted on and snugly embracing the magazine, and a vertically-movable carrier having a pendent projection to prevent the escape of the cartridges at the inner end of the tubular magazine and slide, substantially as set forth,

4. A magazine firearm having a frame which is tubular at its front end, a breechpiece 2, which fits snugly into the tubular part of said frame, a barrel 3, secured to said breech-piece, a tubular magazine mounted on the under side of the barrel and extending rearwardly through a bore in the breechpiece, a tubular operating-slide mounted on and snugly embracing the lnagazine and extending rearwardly through the bore in the breech-piece, and means substantially as described for securing the breech-piece in the frame.

5. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination with the frame, having guides for the longitudinally-reciprocatin g breech-block, of the said breech-block, having an arm which extends forward of the breech of the firearm and within the frame, said breech-block being adapted to be elevated and depressed, when in its closed position, and a breech-piece in the frame having a groove in its side in which said arm plays, substantially as set forth.

6. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination with a frame and the breech-piece 2, therein, provided with a groove 8 in its side, of the breech block, provided with a forwardlyextending arm S, having a guide- IOO IIO

piece 8" which engages the groove 8C, substantially as set forth.

7. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination with the frame and the breech-piece therein provided with a groove 8, and a shoulder 8, of the breech-block having an arm S which extends forward and is provided with a guide-piece Sb, which plays in said groove S when the breech-block moves to and fro and which is adapted to engage said shoulder 8d when the breech-block is depressed, substantially as set forth.

S. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination with a tubular frame having in it guides for the longitudinally-reciprocating breech-block, and the breech-piece secured in the frame, of the said breech-block having arms which extend forward and embrace the breech-piece, occupying recesses in the latter, said arms having each a guide-piece which engages a guiding-groove in the breechpiece, an operating-slide and means intermediate the slide and breech-block whereby the former actuates the latter, substantially as set forth.

i). In a breech-loading firearm, the combination with the breech-block and with mechanism for elevating and depressing said block, of the firing-pin 9, mounted in said block and provided with a laterally-arranged eX- ploding-tip 9 and a stud 9b, the spring 10 of the firing-pin, and the shell-extractor, 14, said extractor being arranged below the stud 9b a distance equal to the diameter of the cartridge-flange.

10. A breech-loadin g firearm having a longitudinally-sliding breech-block adapted to be elevated and depressed when in its closed position, said breech-block having an arm which extends forward of the breech of the firearm and has a pivotal and sliding bearing within the frame, whereby the point about which the block swings in being elevated and depressed is situated forward of the breech of the piece, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

1l. In aniagazine-firearm, the combination with the barrel and frame, and a verticallyvibrating carrier within the frame, of the detachable and removable, tubular magazine mounted in bearings under the barrel and provided with a filling-aperture 5, a springfollower 5^, and a spring-detent at its rear end to prevent the escape of the cartridges there-at when the magazine is detached from the barrel, said carrier being adapted, when depressed, to displace the spring-detent on the magazine, substantially as set forth.

12. A breech loading firearm having a frame 1, which is tubular at its forward end, a breech-piece 2, which fits snugly into said tubular frame, and a retaining-screw, 4, situated near the front end of the frame, said screw engaging an open slot in one cheek of the frame, extending through the breechpiece and screwing at its tip into the opposite cheek of the frame.

13. In a magazine-firearm, the combination with the barrel, provided with a bracket 3b, to receive the magazine-tube, and a keyholeslot 3, of the magazine-tube, the transversely -arranged push-pin 5e, mounted in the magazine-tube and provided with an enlargement 51, and a spring arranged and adapted to press said pin outwardly, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

14. In a magazine-firearm, the combination with the barrel, provided with a bracket 3b, to receive the magazine tube, of the said tube provided with a spring-catch 5, and a push-pin 5B, for actuating said catch, the follower 5x, in the magazine-tube and' provided with a stem 5, having a shoulder 5b to engage the spring-catch, andthe spring behind said follower, substantially as set forth.

15. In a magazine-firearm, the combination with the carrier 13, the slotted magazinetube, the spring-follower, 5x, therein, having a stud 5i, which projects out through the slot in the tube, and the operating-slide 6, of the pivotally -mounted spring-dog 18, provided with a nose at its rear end in the path of the stud 5i, and a detent at its forward end, said detent being adapted to take behind the operating-slide when the rear end of the springdog is elevated, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witn esses.

JOHN L. MCCULLOUGH.

Vitnesses HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Ross. 

